You Can Buy a Stranger’s Lost Luggage At This Store
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
- 🏆 This Great Big Story is WEBBY AWARD-WINNING 🏆
When you’re traveling, have you ever wondered what happens if your bag gets lost? Well, it’ll probably end up in Scottsboro, Alabama at the nation’s only store for lost luggage.
Unclaimed Baggage opened over 50 years ago, when entrepreneur and radio enthusiast, Doyle Owens, had a bright idea. One day, he was on the phone to a friend working at Trailways Bus Lines and learnt that they had more unclaimed bags than they knew what to do with. Borrowing a pick up truck and $300 from his grandparents, Doyle bought his first load of bags back to Alabama, and the rest is history!
In the huge store today, you’ll find both far-flung tourists and regulars who have practically become part of the furniture. However all the shoppers share something in common...a hunger for hidden treasure! Prepare to be amazed, amused, and maybe even a little confused by the astounding array of items you can find at Unclaimed Baggage.
#Luggage #Airport #Alabama
00:00 Intro
00:21 The weird, wacky and the wonderful
01:10 How did it get to Alabama?
01:44 A family business
02:33 Shop, shop shop!
03:30 From lost to found
04:15 Love Luggage
Get exclusive GBS items from our online store 🛒
👉 shop.greatbigstory.com/
Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at pitch@GreatBigStory.com 📧
SUBSCRIBE: / @greatbigstory
NOTIFICATIONS: Make sure you enable the 🔔 to get notified about our latest video publishes.
Follow us on Instagram: / greatbigstory
Check us out on TikTok: / greatbigstory
Join us on Facebook: / greatbigstory
Give us a shout on Twitter: / greatbigstory
Sign up to our newsletter: greatbigstory.com/signup/
Imagine seeing your MICHEAL JORDAN signed ball in a thrift store museum
You spelled Michael wrong.
does it rlly matter tho?@@williamschmitz9129
Imagine the anger that person has because the airline lost it and decided to sell it to another company without your consent. Because they decided it was too much of a hassle to reunite it with you.
@@SpaseGoast
They had 90 days to reclaim their baggage
After that point it’s free real estate
@@SpaseGoastyou had 3 months or 1/4 of entire year bruh
That's depressing that airlines have lost thousands of people's wheelchairs.
They were also abandoned by their owners. It's not the airline's fault someone abandoned their chair and never tried to get it back. I'm happy that others can benefit and the chairs can go to someone that will appreciate it.
@@_Smarf_ More so need than appreciate, chances are that if they didn't claim it it's one from a hospital or unneeded/unwanted for whatever reason. Glad they're given to people who do need them.
@@MaliciousMalcontent Kinda splitting hairs there. Sorry if I offended you by saying appreciate instead of need. I think you can both need and appreciate something. At least we agree that the left behind wheelchairs should go to people and not the landfill.
@@_Smarf_ i hope this is the case in where ever you heard it from. because in the ph and malaysia they've uncovered airline syndicates that abuses this system.
@@ALLmasked I was only speaking for the US.
They found king tuts suitcase dawg
💀
Living right near Unclaimed Baggage is always a weird feeling but you gotta love it. Great video!
How often do you go shopping there? What's been the craziest find you've seen?
Literally 5 min down the road lol
@@MrBarakadosit’s just an expensive thrift store… I can tell you ain’t from here lmao
I have never lost my luggage. The airline lost my luggage several times tho.
If the fishing reel story proves anything, it's that airlines need to try harder to track down the luggage owners. Imagining how inconvenienced the original owners probably were, this is a hard sell.
You realize, this store buys unclaimed items from the airlines, meaning that the airlines had the luggage but no one bothered claiming it after 90 days. Listen to the fishing reel story again, if the airline had the fishing reel(That had his name on it) and he called to claim it, then it wouldn't be sold in the first place. Your personal luggage isn't gonna be sold off if you claim it, everything in this store is from people who didn't want to/couldn't claim their lost items, for all kinds of reasons.
How is exactly is unclaimed? Idk much about planes but once my friend lost his package he claimed and told them that was lost and then no calls from airlines anymore so I suppose instead of their waiting to be claimed, it was already catalogued as "not claimed" when they just couldn't find it and sold it
@@skydivenext A package as in delivery or his own luggage? It's impossible for it to get marked as 'unclaimed' if your friend spoke up, unless he only remembered after 90 days.
The ones in the video are all unclaimed meaning the people who lost it didn't care enough to call for it for over 90 days, meaning they left their stuff with the airline and didn't bother. It's very different.
@@AlbieC I mean what I think is, you go in plane, your luggage get lost then airplane pays you so we good to go
But where does exactly your luggage is? Where did it go? I suppose it went to another airport and nobody claimed that luggage because it was yours and went to another airport so there is this company that buys it
@@AlbieC look found a short that explain it that's prolly what happened to my friend
Maybe you should give the artifacts back to Egypt!! 🙏❤💪
Held for 90 days and live rattlesnake don’t add up.
Something fishy is going on here, and I’m not just talking about the stolen fishing reel.
The rattlesnake probably made it into wherever the luggage was being stored and snuck into the luggage around the time the luggage was being moved from 90 storage to forfeited goods. I agree there's no way it lived in the luggage for 90 days. But there's a logical explanation... aliens.
I worked in Lost and Found at the Honolulu International Airport and I too seen a lot of crazy things!
What's the craziest thing you've ever seen in terms of unclaimed luggage?
Can people claim items back for free if they have proof they were the rightful owners?
They have 90 days to report it to the airline. After that, it's forfeit. 90 days to store your stuff for free is honestly pretty generous. And who waits longer than 90 days to report their bag missing. I, personally, would be calling day 1, as soon as I noticed it missing.
@@_Smarf_ as if the airline would actually help reclaiming the bags
@@yeetboi268 Okay, except they do. Did you watch the video? They lose bags everyday. They also reunite people with their bags everyday, I believe the video said they have a 99.5% rate of reuniting. They also have protocols in place for when this happens, including trying as much as a heartless corporation can to find your bag. It is in their best interest to lose as few bags as possible. If they lost 100% of bags, no one would fly.
What a story! Thank you for covering this 👏🏼
I DIDN'T KNOW GBS IS BACK!! OMG I'M SO HAPPY!! I started watching youtube regularly when i was in highschool, around the same time when gbs started. They didn't have 50k subs yet back then and i was so confused why such a small channel could make such a great video, i thought they were reposting other people's video or something lol and watched almost every video ever since (except when they made those compilation before they went silent). Glad to have you back GBS!
You tracked down some naturally cheerful people here. Beautiful to watch!
Youre gonna keep EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS in a random store in Alabama? I guess that’s the true western spirit 💀
"It belongs in a thrift store!"
UK's museums are literally filled with all the looted stuff from India Africa & elsewhere.
Just amazing! I'm so glad you guys are back. I don't watch everyday, but I regularly bing watch the channel for an hour here and there. Amazing stories that put a smile on my face. So much nicer than watching the news these days.
Imagine taking a visit to Unclaimed Baggage and the options are: 1) a signed Michael Jordan basketball 2) a rattlesnake 3) Egyptian artifacts. Which would you pick? ☺
A rattlesnake 🗿
MJ ball means the most to me 🔥
Honestly, I wouldn't buy anything. Someone might miss their stuff.
, Yes, I'm sentimental for myself and the same for others.
I wouldn't happily go and buy someone's lost property.
It's inhumane.
Egyptian artifacts
I live near here!! I never realised how big of a deal Unclaimed Baggage was, lol! I've been only a handful of times, but I'm usually able to come back with something fun. I typically peruse the clothing and jewelry; you've got to wade through a lot of cheap junk before you find something worthwhile.
I live really close here and go here about 3 or 4 times a year. It's a fantastic clothes store.
Its basically a thrift store but has items people didnt mean to lose.
Why do they have Egyptian artifacts...give them back to Egypt!
So what if someone comes to the museum and says "hey, that's mine"
Legally, nothing. After 90 days, it's theirs. You'll just have to buy it.
@@crancat3495 interesting, thanks for the info. Still would be a bit of an awkward situation
I doubt the museum would give it back to them unless the person brought in the media. And with the Egyptian artifact stuff, they most certainly wouldn't.
I have no idea this store exist
What a great story
Imagine going to this store and seeing one of your lost items
The fishing reel story 💕
The luggages to the kids 💗
This looks like something straight out of a movie! So cool!
Unclaimed? No you mean STOLEN!
You are a very good RUclipsr.
what a wholesome story
Wow. What do airlines in other countries and overseas airports do?
thank you great big stories
Awesome story!
Oh wow so they can’t find peoples lost luggage when they’re looking for it but they know where it is when it’s time to sell it in a store.
I went there once when I was young. I still live pretty close so this video has inspired me to go back.
Great video!
What a great story
Best fishing story, ever. 💯💪🏿
Truly a Great Big Story
My best find was an almost new petzel helmet on clearance. $2.83. Still use it as my caving helmet. Not as many treasures to be found anymore. Think if it as a really expensive thrift store.
So interesting!
Quite a history that luggage has. Worth it. ;-;
this was great!
This sounds less like "unclaimed luggage" and more like "luggage the airline lost". I find it hard to believe that someone went "eh, you know what, I don't really feel like claiming my priceless Egyptian artifact. The suitcase is really heavy."
My guess is that those artifacts were smuggled. Better take the loss than start a paper trail, from the smuggler's POV.
the thing I don't understand is how the store got the egyptian artifact, technically it's not even legal, they were probably smuggled and should return to their country of origin.
I was not expecting a story like this here😳
That sounds like a fun job!
So nice he sent back the reel
Been a dream of mine to go to this store since i love thift stores so this would be perfect for me
so cool!
Ohh I’d be Hella pissed if my bag was not returned to me even when I tried my best and exceeded every avenue to try to get it back especially when there’s something precious in there or sentimental
Exactly! The airlines essentially are selling off items they got for free. They're double dipping on the passenger's fare.
Those people had 90 DAYS to call the airlines and ask for their stuff back though. The airlines do hold the stuff for 90 days foe people and they did say in the video that 99.5 % of people gettheir lost luggage back
@@SpaseGoastAirlines are liable for the cost of items in the bag. Up to $1700 or so globally.
This isn't just an extra income stream.
But I assume from your phrasing that you've never done this. Because most people try to track down their luggage immediately and have no issue being reunited with their stuff. If they just filled out the info tag, the airline would have no trouble tracking them down. Abandoning your stuff for 90 days is not "trying your best and exceeding every avenue". 99.5% of bags are reunited, as per the video. That's pretty good, considering we're talking about millions of bags.
Same. Anyone that flies regularly knows airlines are the worst at finding your bags that THEY lost, and you can spend weeks calling to useless numbers where you can never get a human on, just automated options and then on the rare occasion you can talk to a human all they say is they have no idea where it is. You can write to all emails, chatbots, and can spend months without any straight answer. Only clueless people think airlines 'really try their best' and this vids baseless statistic. This is straight up theft. Disgusting. THEY should incur costs of finding and storing things THEY lost. The measly 'insurance' barely covers the cost of the luggage bag itself since they've become so expensive. The worst part of traveling is dealing with 'luggage claim', no matter what airline or country it is from (I travel a lot so have had to deal with any and all sizes of airlines).
Got a $50 Air Jordan from their online store 5 years ago. Thank you for covering this!
Lovely background music
It’s amazing how many people in the comments simply believe what they hear in a video. Do the airlines really make enough of an effort to return things? I doubt it. When was the last time you’ve experienced a major corporation going out of their way to help customers? I don’t believe that this many people lose their bags and just decide not to claim them, more likely they were never told that their bags were found.
I bet all those people are FURIOUS 😂😂😂
I DIDN'T KNOW YOU CAME BACK
It's Scottsboro, not "Scotsborough". This is Alabama, not England! 😂
How is this not considered stealing?
Because the airlines held the stuff and waited 90 DAYS for each person to come collect their stuff.
Like even during the height of the coronavorus in 2021 there were 99 MILLION people traveling to and from the United states that year. Even if just 0.5% of people lost their luggage that is 495,000 people. Even if only 0.5% of them were unable to get their stuffback that is about 2,475 people. The airlines should not be expected to have to hold 2475 peoples stuff for them indefinitely.
@@SurprisinglyDeep 💯
Did you not watch the video? They literally talk about how both the airline and the donation center do everything humanly possible to reunite the goods with their owner. They are successful 99.5% of the time. A lost and found is not permanent free storage. Better these goods, like wheelchairs and reading glasses, get a second life because otherwise they would just end up in a landfill. Do you really think buying one airline ticket entitles you to lifetime free storage of your luggage? The luggage is also insured by the airline, so a lot of these people are being well compensated, I believe it's up to $1,700.
@@_Smarf_ Yeah, I'm sure the person who lost relics that are "hundreds of years older than Jesus" just forgot to file a claim. And I'm sure the $1,700 was plenty to compensate for the thousands years old relics! If you think that theft doesn't happen in the industry then you're delusional. You really think somebody just didn't bother reclaiming such valuable things? And if they're such rare and valuable things as thousands years old relics you would think it would be a big deal and rather easy to locate such unique cargo, but they didn't. If you think there isn't shady shit going on here and that these people just aren't collecting such valuable things then I've got a bridge to sell you.
3:14 SOOOOO CORNBALL 😂
"Unclaimed Baggage" could be the motto of my dating life.
But hey, even unclaimed baggage has its usefulness too
Wish the prices hadn't gotten so high! I go when i can, but not exactly around the corner for me, lol!
i would love to work here.....like a dream job...😎😎
Why is this so short, I hope there’s a whole docu 😢
WAITTT, your back?
i need one of these near me so bad
You can always shop online!
As a historian I have a major problem with them holding on to some of these historical items. With all due respect but I do not believe a retailer of lost goods in Alabama has the proper knowledge or skills to preserve these items, they should be send to a museum, preferably in their country of origin.
What's the protocol for when an article of luggage vibrates?
One more reason to be wearing gloves!
That Lisa Martynek comment thread is a scam, guys.
I don't live far from Scottsboro and I thought these were a normal thing.
So...if the airline loses my luggage, and THEY can't track it down within 90 days, even though I have made all the right enquiries...are my belongings deemed to be 'unclaimed'? The saying 'one mans trash is another mans treasure' doesn't really apply when we are talking about peoples personal effects. It's pretty obvious that a lot of the items here wouldn't have been so easily disregarded. I'd be furious if my belongings were lost and ended up here...being given a bit of insurance money wouldn't cut it.
When you buy a ticket, you're basically signing a contract saying you agree to these terms. No one has to fly, it's completely optional. This video says they make every possible effort to reunite the goods with their owner and are 99.5% successful. The video never said anything about people trying to get their stuff back and being unsuccessful. Do you really think taking one flight entitles you to free storage of your luggage forever? You realize this would take an amazon warehouse's amount of space at every airport, minimum?
exactly. this is really ethically wrong. the airline loses your luggage, can't find it, and so wherever it is it is considered unclaimed, and then sold for the profit of someone else ? wtf
@@_Smarf_ what are you talking about ? noone is saying taking a flight entitles you to free storage of your luggage forever. that's the whole point. it's about getting it back, not having it stored.
and you said : "The video never said anything about people trying to get their stuff back and being unsuccessful."
it is obvious that this is what is happening here though.
it's highly doubtful many of these were left unclaimed just by the will or inaction of the passenger. who the fck checks in a bag and doesn't want it once they land at their destination ? probably 0.000001 % of passengers, if any.
try to be smarter.
and buying a ticket doesn't mean you consent to your stuff being lost. damn you're clueless.
@@user-mm2ev1wt1f What is your SOLUTION? Warehouses full of unclaimed luggage stored forever? At whose expense? The airline? They're just going to fold that into the price of a ticket and the consumer will end up paying for it.
Of course, in a perfect world, a bag would never get lost. Millions of people fly DAILY. Never losing a bag is just impossible, in the real world.
@@user-mm2ev1wt1f No need to call me clueless. Shows your maturity level.
A thrift store with really good items, man i wish i lived near it
This is where my luggage went all along?!!
I lost baggage today 😢
Call the airport within 90 days! They most likely are still holding onto your stuff for you!
I wonder if the original owners ever find out about this place and get angry when their stuff gets sold? Do they at least try to contact the owners first?
I would imagine that's for the airlines to do.
Why did all those people not try contacting the airlines?
Best case scenario the airlines reimburse the people, then sell it to the store but I doubt that's what happens
Yes, they make every effort to reunite the bag with their owner. Most of the time (I believe the video said 95%), they just call the number on the tag and the bag gets reunited. The people have 90 days to claim their bag. That's more than fair. Who on earth takes over 90 days to track down their lost luggage? And lost and found is not permanent free storage.
Glad GBS is back, this store, however, is just legalized theft and freaking unethical. 90 days of airline negligence should not equals my valuables being stolen and sold away.
Watch again and listen to how this works. The airlines have the luggage and people don't claim it for 90 days. They've forfeited it.
I wish these videos were longer by 5 minutes or so.
ha nice
I lost my bag because it fell out of the plane 💀
You guys are under appreciated . Thank you got pumping out wholesome non political non serious videos about the modern world. It’s desperately needed today. Any time I’m feeling down I can check this channel and be reminded of how beautiful the world is.
Pack like your going to lose it
Now did hobble end up there lol
thats kind of stupid what if it belongs to someone who died while traveling... you should give these bags to their familly
Your back????
So if I put my address in the bag can I still get it back?
Ahhhhh so this is how they make their money classic off other peoples stuff nice I love america anything can be a Fee and you can make up whatever you wanna be
why in Alabama though
Unclaimed?
Wait, can anyone be of possession of lost luggage by their will?
i found my lost under wear here .
How is it legal to sell stolen items?
They're not stolen... they've been abandoned.
basically real life gacha
aint no way she found a fencing blade
1:52 1970? 💀
How many kilos of drugs?
Safiya Nygaard??!
I thought you guys gave up on this channel???
Hey I go to church with Alan Garner Center Point Baptist Church
Wonder what kind of typewriters get
I'd rather not use "one man's junk is another man's treasure" sounds abit zesty
One man's trash sounds better
HOGGLE????
This is great and all except: I'd be livid if my belongings were sent to a thrift store to be sold off. The airline passengers never consented to their luggage being sold off to a 3rd party customer to do with as they please. I'd reckon that 99% of airline passengers whose luggage was lost BY the airline company would want that luggage back, even if it is past 90 days. For example, the guy who lost his fishing reel. He was happy to get it back even though it had been lost for more than 90 days and sold off to Unclaimed Baggage. The airline companies should keep the lost luggage until they can reunite it with the passenger. They made a contract with that passenger. The passenger gives them money and the airline delivers the passenger AND their belongings to a determined destination.
You think airlines should be forced to indefinitely store every single bag someone doesn't care about enough to get?
To be fair, 90 days is a long time-and honestly if you wait that long it's kind of on you then. One can always check what specific airlines do with unclaimed luggage if you do happen to lose something. Though I'd imagine a lot of luggage would simply just be thrown away...
If you aren't putting an airtag in your luggage, you need to get your head checked.
@@narutobroken not everyone owns an iPhone unfortunately, and I would love to have an Airtag for my android phone
@@narutobroken there was a time before AirTag you know....
GBS Nice 💼🛄
That's mine it's worth 10k 😅
I would’ve been livid if I had lost my Roland Keytar which is super expensive, and seeing it at this shop around where I lost it.